Learn how to achieve great composition simply by shifting your perspective

By Felix Esser June 30, 2014

learn achieve great composition shifting perspective educational video mike browne screenshot — Image used with permission by copyright holder

One of the most basic techniques that every photographer – amateur and (aspiring) professional alike – needs to learn is composition. Without proper composition, even the most elaborately arranged scene can look entirely uninspiring, while proper composition can turn even the most mundane objects into a great photograph.

As with all things photographic, there are dozens of rules and techniques that are impossible to always keep in mind, especially when you’re a beginner with little experience. But something that is pretty easy to remember is the fact that by sheer movement of the camera’s position, an entire scene can be completely rearranged and made to look totally different.

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That is exactly what British photographer Mike Browne is talking about in this two-part educational video on composition. By explaining some simple tricks involving physical movement of the photographer and camera, he teaches you how to turn chaos into order and end up with a pleasingly composed photograph.

Working with static objects, Browne shows various movements that you can perform with your camera in order to shift around immobile objects inside your frame. While his advice of using vertical and horizontal shifts, as well as pitch and yaw movements, may seem self-evident, it doesn’t hurt to be reminded about these simple compositional tricks and the way they can alter the appearance of an entire scene.

At the end of the second video, Browne has another short line of advice that is even more elementary to all kinds of photography than the knowledge about composition or the ability to manually control your camera: “Get out there and play with it. And don’t worry if people laugh at you.”

If you’d like to learn more, Browne has a whole series of educational videos over in his YouTube channel.

(Via PetaPixel)

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Felix is a freelance tech journalist with a strong focus on photography. Based out of central Germany, he contributes to…

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